1. Measuring Course Effectiveness
Learner Satisfaction
Knowledge or
Skill Acquisition
Application of New Knowledge or Skills
Achievement of
Expected Outcomes

2. Measuring Course Effectiveness
Learner Satisfaction
Knowledge or
Skill Acquisition
Application of New Knowledge or Skills
Achievement of
Expected Outcomes

3. LEARNER SATISFACTION Additional Resources BACK TO MENU
The easiest aspect to measure is the learner’s reaction to the training. Did they enjoy it? Did they find it meaningful and relevant?
Learner satisfaction is key since motivation plays a big role in knowledge acquisition and retention. If learners find your course relevant and engaging, they’ll be more motivated to pay attention—and therefore more likely to actually learn and retain the information in the course.
Additional Resources
How to Measure Learner Satisfaction
Post-Course Evaluations for E-Learning: 60+ Questions to Include
Post-Course Evaluations: What E-Learning Designers Need to Know
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4. Knowledge or Skill Acquisition BACK TO MENU
It’s all well and good to measure how much they learned, but what really matters is how much of that new knowledge or skills they can apply on the job.
In some cases, this is easy to measure: For example, if the performance issue that the course was created to improve is quantifiable, then all you have to do is compare the "before" numbers to the "after" numbers.
In other cases, when the performance issue is not easily quantifiable, it can require close observation and analysis of the learner’s behavior. The best way to do this is to have a supervisor or manager work closely with the learner to assess their behavior both before and after the training has occurred. You can then gather the information through surveys, observation, work records, and/or interviews with the managers and learners themselves.
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5. Application of New Knowledge or Skills
This aspect is pretty straight-forward: how much of what they were supposed to learn did your learners actually learn?
An easy way to measure how much learners have gotten out of your course is to do pre- and post-tests.
For example, ask your learners to rate themselves on a scale from 1-5 for how well they can do a task before the training and have them do the same rating post-training.
By comparing their initial score to their score after taking the course you can determine if there has been an improvement.
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6. Achievement of Expected Outcomes Additional Resources BACK TO MENU
Another thing to measure is to what extent your course produced the desired business outcomes.
If you did a training needs analysis up front, then you've likely identified an expected cost benefit.
Now’s the time to revisit that cost benefit and compare the results to the business objective that drove you to create the course, such as reduced costs, increased sales, higher productivity, etc.
Additional Resources
Training Needs Analysis: When is E-Learning The Solution?
How to Calculate the Cost-Benefit of E-Learning
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